THE WORLD OFF ROAD

"It seems a crazy project, but if you really dream it, you can make it"

Akis Temperidis and Vula Netou are from Thessaloniki, Greece.

Before departing for their trip around the world, he was editor in chief at 4TPOXOI, the best seller car magazine in the country and Press Officer at the Acropolis Rally. Vula was a dancer and choreographer working as a teacher and performing at dance theaters in Athens.

Akis had an illustrious career as a journalist. He was testing the best supercars in the world, taking exclusive interviews from top personalities (Giugiaro, Ecclestone, Ghosn, McRae, Peterhansel among others) in the industry, he attended world rally and F1 events, he followed twice Dakar rally in a car, participated in different Camel Trophy and Marlboro Adventure events (’90, ’91, ’93 & ’95) and he was racing cars and motorcycles for several years.

Akis had a dream to travel around the world for years. He shared it with Vula during a motorcycle trip in Italy in 2001 and since then never stopped dreaming about it. In 2005, they decided to leave their everyday jobs and get dedicated to their project, which they named The World Off Road.

Thanks to the support of 4TPOXOI and other sponsors in Greece they managed to buy, equip their Land Rover Discovery3 for the expedition, fix a Maggiolina Extreme Forest on top and finally hit the road in April 2007.

"It seems a crazy project but if you really dream it, you can make it", they say now, while living and growing up their child in Emilia Romagna, Italy.

Akis Temperidis

One of the most epic routes was towards Ladakh, up on the Indian Himalaya.

Vula was the cameraman of the expedition.

Akis took more than 150.000
images during the trip.

Driving on 4.500 mts. Under the imposing Cotopaxi volcano, Ecuador.

Pinnacles, Australia

Patagonia was the last frontier for the Greek couple.

Sunset in Patagonia, right before embarking for Africa.

The Land Rover Discovery3 had many offroad adventures.

Akis happy to cross the "death road" in Bolivia.

Crossing America through the glorious Route 66.

happy to arrive at Finke National Park, near Alice Springs, Australia.

The World Off Road crossed the Sahara desert 3 times from 2007 to 2010

"THE ONLY THINK I FEARIS TO LOSE MY MEMORY"

The World Off Road was an ambitious project right from the start. The objective was to travel around the world in 800 days, writing and filming the adventure to make the money for living. The numbers of the trip were even more impressive in the end.

Vula and Akis covered 168.000 km. In 1177 days and returned to Greece in September 2010. They had crossed 67 countries in 5 continents.

During their adventure, they drove through deserts like Sahara (three times), Kalahari, Namib, Nubian, the Australian outback and Atacama in Chile. They drove on the most challenging roads in the world, like the Khardung La pass in Ladakh (India, 5.609 mt.), the Karakoram Hwy (Pakistan), rally Dakar “pistes” in Mauritania, the no man’s land in northern Kenya, the Tanami and Simpson desert in Australia, the iconic route 66 and the windy Ruta 40 in Patagonia.

The Greek adventurers lived with ancient tribes like the Hajabe, the Maasai and the Mursi in Africa and the Kalasha in Asia, they filmed the best safari parks like Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Kruger, Saadani and Zambezi falls, they visited the mountain gorillas in Congo and the Orangutans in Sumatra.

During their adventure, Akis and Vula wrote about 70 articles in different magazines, took more than 150.000 pictures and collected 200 hours of HD filming material. How does it feel after all this experience?

"The only think I fear is to lose my memory", Akis says...

Akis Temperidis

Offroad wherever... here on a forgotten section of the old Route 66

Zapotitlan, maybe the most iconic landscape in Mexico.

Arrived at Cotopaxi volcano base, Ecuador.

The rare encounter with orphaned, wild chimpanzees in Cameroun.

Vula with a Karen girl of the Burma tribe on the extreme north-west of Thailand.

On a remote, cowboy village on Route 66, Arizona, USA.

Almost daily, Vula and Akis were reporting via satellite to the popular Radio Thessaloniki 94.5 station.

Completely on their own, deep into the Stony desert, in the Australian Outback.

South of Lima, Peru, where the desert meets the Pacific Ocean.

Khardung La pass, Ladakh at 5.609 mts. The highest point where a car can arrive.

Hosted by a traditional Uros family in Titicaca lake, Peru.

A Brazilian couple celebrates their national football team’s goal indi Copacabana.

"Roof top tent Maggiolina was our little home. We still miss it!"

“Life on the road is hard but wonderful", Vula says. "These were the best years of our lives. We hope we can live something like this in the near future", says Akis, who still can’t get used to everyday life.

Akis and Vula had a restricted budget. They could survive for years with no more than 60 euros per day, all expenses included. "Our Land Rover was our third companion around the world and the Maggiolina was our little home. We still miss it", the two travellers say.

Roof top tent Maggiolina was an essential part of the expedition as the travellers spent more than 700 nights in it. This means two years in all! Most of these nights are unforgettable. The Maggiolina was used in diverse conditions, between Sahara dunes, in African villages, on the assassin mountains of Iran, downtown Mumbai or in American petrol stations! "We spent so many nights in our beloved Maggiolina but we remember most of them because every one had a different view next morning", Vula says.

Akis remembers some extremely hot nights in Pakistan with 37 degrees C and freezing ones with -10 in Tierra del Fuego. Furious winds blowing at 120 km/h in Patagonia, the Australian sun, and wild Indian monkeys where some of the real life tests for the rugged Italian tent that still works perfectly.

TIPS

Akis e Vula have a normal life now in Italy but don’t stop thinking about their next big trip, which they plan to start when their daughter gets 3 years old. We asked them and they give us some tips on how to organize and survive a trip around the world.

Money is important but not No1. What you need first is a real passion for travel. Travelling to work and working for travelling is our ethos. This is how we did it and will do it again.

Fear is No1 enemy anywhere. Fear attracts negative energy and this is what brings problems.

There are not bad people or countries, just few people who might harm you.

Smile and sincerity are the only weapons you must carry as a traveller.

Trust people and they will not be a problem.

Follow the rules and respect the traditions of each country - don’t try to impose yours.

Authorities (like police officers) is not a problem. Just behave yourself and confront them with respect, patience and a bit of humor.

Budget travel is not a sacrifice. It makes the trip more exciting.

Driving in some countries is tricky. Don’t stick to your country’s rules, understand local ones and always drive defensively.

Maggiolina is not just the perfect home on the road. It attracts sympathy from everybody, especially poor people. Open it and let them climb to see it - they will love you for living in a smaller place than theirs...

Akis Temperidis

Sahara! The title of the second article in the series, on the greek magazine greca 4TPOXOI.

Sunset at the Uluru, the sacred rock of the Aborigines, in the Australian Outback.

An old woman from the Kuna Yala tribe, Panama.

Inshallah! For the trip across Pakistan we really needed this philosophy.

Driving in the hot Balochistan desert, Iran.

From an article on Overlander 4WD, Australia: on the road to Kashmir, India.

One of our favourite landscapes, not so far from Europe. Wadi Rum, Giordania.

Vula celebrating the fantastic sunset in the Atacama desert, Cile.

Unforgettable free camping, on the Nile road from Dongola to Wadi Halfa, Sudan.

A gentle Karen woman - from the so called “long neck” tribe,Thailandia.

Contrasts of colours and culture: Vula with a Mursi woman in the Omo valley, Ethiopia.

Crossing Ladakh, in the Indian Tibet.

Waking up in the Maggiolina, somewhere in the Australian Outback. We still miss our Italian ten!

Crossing the white Sahara in Egypt to avoid police escorts on the main road to Cairo.

REPORTAGE

“AROUND THE WORLD IN 1.177 DAYS WITH THE ROOF TOP TENT AUTOHOME”

Here below the most captivating stories by Akis Temperidis e Vula Netou published on the prestigious austrialian magazine 4WD ACTION and in mother tongue on the greek 4TPOXOI and AUTOBILD, to which followed numerous press quotes, articles, interviews and TV broadcasts, to testimony the great adventure.

"...it is a pleasure and a honour for us using your Roof top Tent; thank you for the importance you have given – and continue giving – to our adventure. We hope it is not the last…..Don’t forget that you have a world famous product…. the creativity, ideas and positive energy which it gives out belong to us! With our best greetings!!"

Akis Temperidis - Vula Netou

13 March 2013

4WD ACTION

The magazine 4WD ACTION is the most popular Australian magazine, the leading magazine of its kind. It concentrates on 4-wheel driving, camping and off-road lifestyle. The magazine is published thirteen times a year by the independent publishing house Express Media Group (EMG) that has its head office in Sydney

CAR India - September 2008

WHO ARE WE?

We have driven 77,000km through 37 countries
so far and after 400 days on the road we are
in India. We are a couple from Greece, a car
journalist and a dance teacher.

4TPOXOI

4TPOXOI is the leading automotive magazine in Greece, for which Akis Temperidis, the great reporter of reference, was editor in chief. 4TPOXOI has sponsored the "The World Off Road" project, an extraordinary journey that has captured the interest of the international automotive press.

AUTOBILD

AUTOBILD is a leading German automotive magazine, known worldwide. Published by Axel Springer AG for the first time in 1986, today with its publications authorised throughout the world, it sells more than seven million copies every month, and is published in 36 countries.